In addition to their three regular meals, kids often get quite a few calories from the snacks they eat throughout the day. Unfortunately, for a lot of kids, that means a lot of extra calories, sugar, and fat. In addition to increasing the risks of childhood obesity, snacks that aren't healthy can put your kids at risk for cavities, especially if they are eating sticky foods like fruit snacks or candy.

Snacks can be an important part of your child's diet, though, by including low-calorie snacks and low-fat snacks, like fresh fruit.

Healthy snack ideas:

• Fresh fruit, such as apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, strawberries, watermelon, etc.
• Dried fruits, including raisins and prunes. Because these are sticky foods that can put kids at increased risk for cavities, have your kids brush and floss after eating them
• Fruit cups or canned fruit in water, 100% fruit juice or light syrup
• Raw vegetables, including carrots, celery, or broccoli, that can be served with a low-fat dip or dressing
• Dairy products, such as low-fat cheese, yogurt, and pudding, or a homemade fruit smoothie
• Whole-grain snacks, including some breakfast cereals, crackers, cereal bars, baked chips, and popcorn (without added butter), or pretzels
• Popsicles made with 100% fruit juice

Although not low in fat or calories, nuts and trail mix can also be healthy snacks if your child eats only a single serving and not on a daily basis.

A special note about drinks: Many kids drink juice, tea, soda, or fruit drinks when they have their daily snack. This can greatly increase the amount of calories a child has during the day. Ideally, children should only drink water, low-fat, or fat-free milk, or 100% fruit juice.